Latest Crypto News & Market Updates

Japan's SBI Crypto to End Bitcoin Mining Pool Services

In briefSBI Crypto is ending its Bitcoin mining pool service, the 11th largest according to Hashrate Index.The firm joins a growing list of other Bitcoin miners that are ending operations or shifting a larger focus to AI.Earlier this week, SBIs parent company agreed to acquire Japanese exchange Bitbank.　　SBI Crypto, a wholly owned subsidiary of Japanese financial giant SBI Holdings, is winding down its Bitcoin mining pool services, according to an announcement from the firm.　　Though a reason was not given, the firm indicated it would cease operations on July 31.　　“Until then, we expect the pool to continue operating under normal conditions, and customers may continue mining and receiving payouts as usual,” the firm wrote. “Our goal is to continue providing stable and reliable mining pool operations through the planned closure date.”　　The firm has been operating a cryptocurrency mining service since at least 2017, according to its website, and currently maintains the 11th biggest Bitcoin mining pool by hash rate, according to data from Hashrate Index. The pool also lets users mine Bitcoin Cash and Litecoin.　　Bitcoin mining pools allow smaller players to lump together their resources and computational power, or hash rate, to compete to win Bitcoin blocks and therefore BTC rewards.

07-03Industry

Irish authorities recover another 500 bitcoins from lost Clifton Collins drug stash

Quick TakeThe latest recovery brings the Criminal Assets Bureaus total seizures from the Collins case to 1,500 BTC.Arkham data shows 4,500 BTC, worth more than $275 million, remains in the dormant wallets.　　Irish authorities have recovered a third batch of bitcoins (BTC) worth nearly $31 million from the lost crypto holdings of convicted drug trafficker Clifton Collins.　　Irelands Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) said on Thursday that with help from Europols European Cybercrime Centre, it seized a further 500 BTC identified as proceeds of crime. This brings the bureaus total recovery in this case to 1,500 BTC worth over $92 million at current prices.　　Europol said it hosted operational meetings at its headquarters in The Hague and provided “highly complex technical expertise and decryption resources” used by investigators and analysts during the operation.　　Its the third such successful recovery from a cache of 12 bitcoin wallets that originally held 6,000 BTC amassed by Collins using proceeds from trafficking and growing cannabis. Authorities previously recovered 500 BTC in March and another 500 BTC in May after gaining access to the wallets.　　According to reporting by The Irish Times, Collins, a former beekeeper, bought bitcoin in late 2011 and early 2012 when it traded for just a few

07-03Industry

Ondo expands tokenized equities with onchain shareholder voting

Ondo Finance is adding shareholder voting rights to its tokenized stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) through a partnership with financial infrastructure provider Broadridge, addressing one of the key limitations of blockchain-based securities.　　The companies announced Thursday that holders of more than 250 tokenized securities issued through Ondo will be able to participate in proxy voting and access corporate communications, including regulatory filings and other shareholder documents.　　The integration uses a Web3-enabled version of Broadridges investor communications platform, allowing users to authenticate with blockchain wallets while accessing governance services typically reserved for shareholders in traditional markets.　　The move comes as tokenized equities gain momentum among digital asset companies seeking to bring conventional financial products onchain. While tokenization promises faster settlement and around-the-clock trading, questions have remained over whether investors would receive the governance rights that accompany traditional direct stock ownership.Source: Ondo Finance　　Ondo said the governance features will accompany the launch of its first US custodial tokenized securities, including tokenized versions of BlackRocks iShares Core Ss third-party custodial framework for tokenized securities.　　Related: Blockchain.com deepens onchain stock offerings as tokenized equities market grows　　Competition heats up in tokenized equities　　The market for tokenized stocks has expanded rapidly this year, as its total value first surpassed $1 billion in

07-03Industry

Bitcoin and Ethereum Rise From Recent Lows as Solana Leads Gains Among Major Coins

Major cryptocurrencies are broadly in the green Thursday with Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, and other top coins showing gains as crypto liquidations climb—with short positions making up the majority of the carnage.　　Bitcoin topped the $62,000 mark Thursday morning for the first time in more than a week, rebounding to $62,078 after falling to a 21-month low under $58,000 earlier in the week. At a recent price of $61,808, Bitcoin is up about 3% on the day and 4% in the last week.　　Other major cryptocurrencies are showing similar gains, with Ethereum and Solana both up nearly 5% on the day, hitting recent prices of $1,701 and $81 respectively. Solana is the biggest gainer among the top 10 cryptocurrencies in the last week, rising more than 22% during that span. XRP is up more than 3% on the day at a recent price of $1.09.　　Crypto liquidations have surged to $602 million over the last 24 hours, per data from CoinGlass, with Ethereum flipping Bitcoin to become the biggest contributor with $187 million in liquidations compared to $184 million for BTC. Overall, short liquidations make up $400 million of the pile.　　The bullish rebound comes following comments Wednesday from Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh, who

07-03Industry

EToro invests in onchain derivatives platform Extended as brokers race into DeFi

Digital broker eToro (ETOR) is doubling down on decentralized finance (DeFi) as online brokerages race to bring blockchain-based trading to mainstream investors.　　The company led a $12.5 million funding round for Extended, an onchain perpetual futures exchange founded by former employees of London-based fintech Revolut. Jump Crypto and Alber Blanc also participated in the round.　　The investment builds on eToros $70 million acquisition of self-custody wallet Zengo, announced in April, and offers a clearer picture of the companys onchain strategy.　　“We are seeing growing demand from our users for seamless access to DeFi products,” Elad Lavi, eToros executive vice president of corporate development and strategy, told CoinDesk. “Our recent acquisition of Zengo and our investment in Extended are key parts of our strategy to meet this demand and expand our Web3 ecosystem.”　　EToro plans to integrate Extendeds perpetual futures engine directly into the Zengo wallet, giving users access to onchain derivatives while retaining custody of their assets.　　Over time, the company plans to bring broader DeFi products into the core eToro platform, Lavi said.　　The race for onchain trading　　The move comes as competition among digital brokerages is shifting toward blockchain-based trading infrastructure. On Wednesday, rival broker Robinhood rolled out its own blockchain, expanded its tokenized stock

07-03Exchange

Robinhood CEO says future of crypto is in real-world assets, not memecoins

Quick TakeWhen asked to explain why crypto is struggling this year, Robinhoods Vlad Tenev told CNBC that TradFi and crypto are merging and the future of digital assets is in bringing real-world assets online.Memecoins and “memecoin-like things” dont warrant much attention, he argued.　　A day after Robinhood unveiled an expansion of its tokenized equities offering, CEO Vlad Tenev said the growth of the digital assets industry hinges on bringing real-world assets (RWAs) onchain rather than creating tokens without underlying utility.　　“The future of crypto is in real-world assets,” Tenev told CNBC on Thursday morning. “If an asset is not tied to an underlying utility, its not a productive asset. Whats the benefit of making a million different memecoins？”　　On Wednesday, Robinhood launched Stock Tokens, a service that allows eligible users to trade tokenized equities 24/7, and eventually deploy those assets into lending pools where they can be used as trading collateral across the broader DeFi ecosystem. Robinhood is also working on ways to offer users exposure to privately held companies like OpenAI.　　Asked whether the crypto market has entered into an “enduring crypto winter,” Tenev spoke to his belief in the merging of traditional finance and crypto. Robinhood, which started as a popular app

07-03Industry

XRP Lending Infrastructure Could Unlock New Borrowing Strategy, Analyst Says

$XRP analyst James Dula says new lending infrastructure on the $XRP Ledger could eventually let holders borrow against their $XRP without selling it. 　　He also believes they could earn yield on unused $XRP to help offset borrowing costs.　　In a post on X, Dula linked several recent developments. These include Coinbases $XRP-backed loans, government-backed crypto mortgage structures, and proposed $XRP Ledger lending features. He argued that together they could create a new financial model for long-term $XRP holders.　　Borrow Against $XRP Without Selling　　According to Dula, $XRP holders can already use their tokens as collateral for crypto-backed loans through Coinbase, which added $XRP as eligible collateral earlier this year.　　He used a hypothetical example. An investor holding 10,000 $XRP worth about $1 million, assuming an $XRP price of $100, could pledge 2,500 $XRP valued at around $250,000. With a loan-to-value ratio of roughly 49%, the investor could borrow about $120,000 in USDC without selling their $XRP.　　Dula said the transaction would be treated as a loan rather than a sale. That means it would not trigger a taxable capital gains event while allowing the investor to keep exposure to potential future $XRP price gains.　　Crypto-Backed Mortgages Show Where the Market Is Heading　　Dula also pointed to a

07-03Exchange

Humanity Protocol repositions toward enterprise AI after $36 million hack, founder says

Quick TakeIn his first interview since the hack, Humanity Protocols Terence Kwok said the project is advancing with a month-long repositioning move toward enterprise AI products, stepping back from its identity-and-blockchain framing after a $36 million exploit.Kwok conceded the odds of recovering the stolen funds are low, pointing to Bybits struggle to claw back its own far larger $1.5 billion theft last year.　　Humanity Protocol founder Terence Kwok said the project is repositioning toward enterprise AI products, moving away from its identity-and-blockchain roots weeks after a $36 million exploit drained its treasury and collapsed the H token.　　Speaking on The Blocks daily show, The Starting Block, in his first interview since the June attack, Kwok said the team had spent the past six to nine months quietly rethinking its direction and that the hack accelerated a shift already underway.　　How the breach unfolded　　The exploit stemmed from a compromised developer laptop rather than a smart-contract flaw.　　A phishing email reached several members of Kwoks team, and although no one clicked it, the attackers eventually gained access to private keys associated with a member of the Humanity Foundation.　　At the time, estimates from onchain analysts gathered that wallets linked to the project were drained for more than

07-02Industry

Standard Chartered partners with Circle to launch direct USDC minting

Standard Chartered has become the first globally systemically important bank to offer direct $USDC minting and redemption. 　　The bank announced Thursday it has partnered with Circle to allow institutional clients to mint and redeem $USDC, without needing direct Circle accounts.　　Circle ???? Standard Chartered@StanChart has launched institutional $USDC minting and redemption through DIFC, becoming the first G-SIB to offer institutional access to $USDC through a regulated banking channel.　　A major milestone for institutional stablecoin adoption.… pic.twitter.com/SufjFOqjyk　　— Circle (@circle) July 2, 2026　　The service launches first for Standard Chartereds clients in Dubai, and will expand to other regions “subject to regulatory approvals and market readiness.”　　Circle said the service allows for institutional use cases such as on-chain settlement, treasury, and liquidity management, with support for payment-related functions in the future.　　Digital assets are becoming an increasingly important component of global financial infrastructure, and institutional clients are seeking the same levels of trust and governance that underpin traditional markets.　　With this launch, we are extending those standards into a rapidly evolving segment of the financial system, said Standard Chartereds CEO, Roberto Hoornweg.　　Standard Chartered joins 140 other giants to launch OUSD stablecoin　　The timing comes as more TradFi giants are increasingly dabbling in the stablecoin market amid growing institutional demand.

07-02Exchange

Tether CEO Says MiCA Rules Are Too Risky for USDT Reserves

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino has explained why the company chose not to apply for a license under the European Unions Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework. According to Ardoino, the regulation creates unnecessary risks for stablecoin issuers instead of making the market safer.　　He said MiCA requires issuers to keep 60% of their reserves as uninsured cash deposits in European banks. Ardoino argued that such a rule could expose stablecoin issuers to banking risks during periods of heavy redemptions.　　Tethers decision means $USDT, now valued at roughly $186 billion, has no MiCA authorization and can no longer trade on regulated crypto exchanges across the European Union.　　Ardoino Points to Reserve Requirements　　Ardoino‘s biggest criticism focuses on MiCA’s reserve rules. He said a stablecoin issuer managing €10 billion ($11.38 billion) in reserves would have to place €6 billion ($6.83 billion) in uninsured bank deposits across European banks. According to him, many large banks are unwilling to work with stablecoin issuers, leaving smaller banks to hold those funds.　　He argued that these banks operate on fractional reserve banking, meaning only part of customer deposits remains available as cash.　　In his example, if users redeemed 20% of a €10 billion stablecoin supply, equal to €2 billion ($2.27 billion), banks might

07-02Exchange

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